PORT DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 35, 11 February 1939, Page 7

PORT DEFENCE.

BIG MANOEUVRES.

ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE. MOST IMPORTANT FOR YEARS. Evidence of the extension of the defence of the Dominion in general, and of the Port of Auckland in particular, were strikingly demonstrated at the manoeuvres which began at Xoyth Ilead to-day. The operations, in which the three arms, military, naval and air, are taking part, will take place continuously for 24 hours, beginning at noon to-day. and their specific purpose is the defence of the port.

Even to the laymen, it was apparent tliat these were the most important operations which have taken place in Auckland for many years, and tliev have been made possible only on account of the improved equipment and greater number of trainees now available as the result of increased activity in defence generally.

The essential point of the raanoeurves is to ensure that there will be trainer* available to man all equipment at anv |>oint in the 24 hours. One of the greatest lessons •which the army expects to learn from the exercises is that the system of relief of men on duty acts smoothly, and that sufficient fresh men

will be ready ill the shortest possible time. Besides officers, tliero arc approximately 200 other ranks, naval and military, in camp for the 24 hours' period. Port Defences.. An extensive project for enlarging and modernising the defence of the main ports is in progress, and is being prehed on with all reasonable speed in accordance with the latest methods and equipment, concurrently with the training of the necessary personnel. In addition to the territorials who enlist direct, there are in camp also special reservists and returned soldiers. The former have done three months continuous training and are appearing in camp for the first time. Special legislation was necessary for the latter in respect to age. Regarded as more suitable work for the mature years, the searchlight's are under their control.

Coast defence, officers explained, was essentially a combined operation, and the exercises which began to-day.meant the land forces, the Royal Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force working in the closest concert for the* whole 14 hours' period. The control of merchant shipping in war was a matter of vital importance, and machinery had to be found to prevent entry into the port of the enemy's "Q" ship—armed merchantman.

It would be realised that such a task necessitated the closest co-operation between the naval, the military and civil authorities. The officials of the lastnamed division normally concerned with the control of merchant shipping were the harbourmaster and his officials, and the chief collector of customs and his staff. All those divisions were working together in the exercises, so that in time" of war the smooth working of the port would be ensured. Possible Enemy Warship. The more obvious task of dealing with enemy warships would also be considered. There the task of the Army was the more apparent, but again the support of the Navy was essential to make sure that the Army made no mistake as to whether shipping was friendly or hostile. One of the problems of coast defence was to have immediately available at any time the personnel to man the guns, communications, searchlights and other equipment which might be desirable. That was attained by a system of watches, comparable with what obtained on board ship, and one of the greatest lessons which the Army expected to learn was the smooth working of the relief of watches system. The modern warship, officers added, travelled at a high speed, and it would be realised that a coast defence action would therefore develop extraordinarily quickly. Many modern vessels had a speed of 25 knots and over, and under certain conditions their approach might be aided, by darkness, fog or haze. Instant readiness in that connection might be measured in terms of minutes or even seconds. Zebrugge Said Lessons. Students of history, they said, who were familiar with the British raid on Zebrugge, would recall the need for land forces to be so organised as to be able to develop the maximum efficiency in the shortest possible time.

The officers and men of the 18th Battery, •whose task is coastal defence, in preparing for the exercises, had realised vividly how closely their activities were bound np with the presence of the Air Force and the Navy. They expressed themselves as delighted with the readiness with which those arms had undertaken their respective taskf?, and with the completeness of accompanying detail.

Throughout the period H.M.S. Wellington would take the part of both friend and foe, and would approach the port at irregular and unknown intervals. The combined forces, according to the directions received, would take the appropriate action in each. case.

Another link in the chain -would be the use of the pilot launch Waitemata, made available by the Auckland Harbour Board, as an examination vessel.

During the exercises visits were paid by the Chief of the General Staff, MajorGeneral -J. E. Duigan, accompanied by Colonel X. MeD. Weir, officer commanding the Northern Military District, and Major G. B. Parkinson, of Army Headquarters, Wellington. Commodore J. W. Rivett-Carnac, commanding the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, also inspected the exercises. The 13th Battery is under the command of Captain E. Schnackenberg, while the duties of the artillery commander of the defence of the port is being carried out by Major F. X. Nurse, of the Australian Staff Corps, district artillery officer of the Northern Military District. Naval operations are under the control of the senior naval officer at Auckland, Captain H. M. Barnes. Commander R. Hyde-Smith is in charge of H.M.S. Wellington.